Kansas Writers

The Kansas struggle was the source of a great deal of writing. Eastern newspapers were full of the Kansas question. During the Territorial period many of the eastern papers kept correspondents in the Territory, and these men wrote much of the conflict here and of pioneer life and conditions.

The Kansas people themselves were too busy to give much attention to literature and produced but few writings of permanent value. Kansas —Its Interior and Exterior Life, by Mrs. Sara T. D. Robinson, was written during this period. Other early writers were: William A. Phillips, Richard Realf, James Redpath, Albert D. Richardson, W. P. Tomlinson, and Henry Harvey.

During the Civil War practically all of the writing produced in Kansas was concerned with the struggle that the people were going through. The period from the close of the Civil War until the "grasshopper year" of 1874 was one of remarkable growth and expansion and the people were full of confidence and enthusiasm. It was in this period that The Kansas Magazine was published. Though it lasted less than two years, it was a magazine of real literature. Among the contributors were: Henry King, James W. Steele, John J. Ingalls, D. W. Wilder, R. J. Hinton, Charles Robinson, and Noble L. Prentis.

The depression caused by the grasshopper raid affected Kansas in literature as well as in other activities. For several years but few books were published. Two of the books produced during this period were, however, very valuable ones: Andreas' History of Kansas, a compilation by many writers, and Wilder's Annals of Kansas. George R. Peck and John J. Ingalls came into prominence about this time as orators. Many of their speeches have become a part of our literature. Joseph G. McCoy and Joel Moody were writers of this period.

A number of good books were published in the '80's, among them: The Story of a Country Town, E. W. Howe; A Kansan Abroad, Noble L. Prentis; Rhymes of Ironquill, Eugene F. Ware; History of Kansas, L. W. Spring; Anabel and Other Poems, Ellen P. Allerton. Other writers of this time were: F. W. Giles, Charles Gleed, and Hattie Horner.

The period following the collapse of the boom, 1888 to 1892, produced many books. Some of the most prominent were: Kansas Miscellanies, Prentis; The Farmers' Side, William A. Peffer; Letters, Charles F. Scott; In the Van of Empire, Henry Inman; Richard Bruce, Charles M. Sheldon; Old Wine in New Bottles, Brinton W. Woodward. During this period The Agora, a Kansas magazine, was published. All the best Kansas writers of the period were among its contributors, but it lived only a short time. Among other writers were: Nathaniel S. Goss, Mrs. Mary W. Hudson, Gov. Charles Robinson, Albert Bigelow Paine, and John Speer.

The last twenty years have brought peace and prosperity to Kansas and the people have been able to give more time and thought to literature. Many writings have been produced — poetry, essays, speeches, newspaper and magazine articles, and many books. The following are among the writers who have come into prominence in the last two decades:

Henry Inman, author of: The Old Santa Fe Trail, The Great Salt Lake Trail, The Ranch on the Oxhide, and The Delahoyd Boys. Charles M. Sheldon, author of: Richard Bruce, Robert Hardy s Seven Days, The Crucifixion of Philip Strong, His Brother's Keeper, In His Steps, Malcolm Kirk, Lend a Hand, The Redemption of Freetown, The Miracle at Markham, One of the Two, For Christ and the Church, Born to Serve, Who Killed Joe's Baby, The Reformer, The Narrow Gate, The Heart of the World, Paul Douglas, The Good Fight, The High Calling, The Twentieth Door. William Allen White, author of: The Real Issue, Stratagems and Spoils, Court of Boyville, God's Puppets, In Our Town, A Certain Rich Man, The Martial Adventures of Henry and Me, In the Heart of a Fool, Rhymes by Two Friends (poems by Mr. White and Albert Bigelow Paine).

Eugene Ware, author of: The Rise and Fall of the Saloon. The Lyon Campaign and History of the First Iowa Infantry, The Indian Campaign of 1864, Rhymes of Ironquill, Ithuriel, From Court to Court, Several translations from Spanish, French and Latin, contributions to many publications.

William Y. Morgan, author of: A Jayhawker in Europe, The •Journey of a Jayhawker, The Near East, and numerous newspaper articles.

Margaret Hill McCarter, author of: The Cottonwood's Story, Cuddy's Baby, In Old Quivira, A Master's Degree, The Peace of the Solomon Valley, Price of the Prairie, The Reclaimers, A Wall of Men, Winning the Wilderness, Vanguard of the Plains, and a series of classics.

Walt Mason, author of: Horse Sense, Ripplering Rhymes, Terse Verse, Walt Mason: His Book, and Business Prose Poems. William Elsey Connelley, author of: John Brown, James H. Lane, Wyandot Folk-Lore, An Appeal to the Record, Kansas Territorial Governors, Memoirs of John James Ingalls, Ingalls of Kansas, Quantrill and the Border Wars, Life of Preston B. Plumb, and Kansas and Kansans.

Samuel J. Crawford, author of Kansas in the Sixties. William Herbert Carruth, author of Each in His Own Tongue and Other Poems.